Oakland Raiders finally have depth heading into training camp

The Oakland Raiders will kick off training camp next week, and for the first time in a while, they have some solid depth on both sides of the ball.

The Oakland Raiders will have their rookies, who are all signed, head to camp on Tuesday, as they kick off their first training camp in the NFL. The veteran will head to Napa a few days later, and for the organization, they have to be excited about the mix of  talent heading to camp this summer.

Coming off a tough 2018 campaign, the Raiders knew they had to move in a new direction, and they did so by bringing in first-year general manager Mike Mayock. In his first big move, Mayock swindled the Pittsburgh Steelers into trading the Raiders Antonio Brown, a guy who is one of the better wide receivers in the NFL.

The wide receiver position for the Raiders is just one of a handful of spots that saw major depth brought in this offseason, including both side of the ball up front along the lines. In addition, the secondary as a whole got better, and the linebacker group brought in talented veterans to help bring the young guys along.

Looking at the roster, there are a bunch of solid players from last year who could find themselves on the outside looking in when cuts are made, and that is something the Raiders have not had the luxury of having in the past. That could lead to this team surprising the rest of the NFL this season, as they certainly have the key guys at the main positions that can get it done in a big way.

Overall, most of the position groups have been improved, and while big questions loom, especially on the edges, there is a feeling that this is a team that could double their win total from a year ago.

All of these battles will be played out in front of a national audience, as the Raiders training camp will be featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks.  This is Year 2 of the Jon Gruden return tour, and there is nowhere to go but up after the four win season a year ago.